Archives of Biological Sciences (Jan 2013)

Isolation, cultivation, and in vitro susceptibility testing of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato: A review

  • Veinović Gorana,
  • Filipić Brankica,
  • Stanković Jelena

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS1302533V
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 65, no. 2
pp. 533 – 547

Abstract

Read online

Lyme borreliosis is the most common vector-borne disease in the northern hemisphere. The agents of Lyme borreliosis are borrelia, bacteria of the family Spirochaetaceae, which are grouped in Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex. Borreliae are fastidious, slow-growing and biochemically inactive bacteria that need special attention and optimal conditions for cultivation. The isolation of Borrelia from clinical material and their cultivation is a time-consuming and demanding procedure. Cultivation lasts from 9 up to 12 weeks, which is much longer than is necessary to grow most other human bacterial pathogens. Although B. burgdorferi sensu lato is susceptible to a wide range of antimicrobial agents in vitro, up to now the susceptibility of individual Borrelia species to antibiotics is defined only partially. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175011]

Keywords